amistad movie Essay

In 1997 a movie called Amistad depicted the true story of a group of Africans that were taken from their families and forced into slavery. Although the movie was heavily criticized for it's inaccurate tale of the terrible ordeal, it gave the story world-renowned attention. The real story had more drama and tearjerker parts then the movie did. If the movie ever gets remade, hopefully this time it follows the facts exactly.

In 1619, a Spanish ship containing some Africans was captured and then brought to Jamestown, where the Africans were traded for food (Johnson et al, Africans, 36). Little did anyone know but this one trade would shape the course of history for decades to come.

The Amistad was a Spanish ship built in Baltimore for the purpose of transporting slaves. For three years, it sailed the high seas delivering its cargo to various locations. But in August of 1838, a scandalous injustice was uncovered after the ship was seized by an American vessel, the USS Washington, a coast guard ship under the command of Lt. Thomas R. Gedney. Lt. Gedney and his crew towed the Amistad into a New England harbor in Connecticut where soon many controversies amounted and drama would unfold.

La Amistad movie is a movie from the year 1997 and it is directed by the famous director, “Steven Spielberg”. This famous director has made a lot famous movies like for example the famous movie of “Jurassic Park” or “E.T”. Amistad is the word for “friendship” in Spanish. In this movie four different languages are spoken. English, Spanish, Portuguese and Mende. Mende is the language that the African slaves speak in. This movie is a little recreation of a true story about slave revolt on a small Spanish schooner in 1839. This revolt caused a series of trials beginning in the lower parts of Connecticut. This case not only marks a milestone for Abolitionists in their fight against slavery but it also questioned the natural laws of our Constitution.

In the 19th century there a two floored schooner named La Amistad, which is Spanish for “Friendship”. This schooner was built in the United States of American and was used by Cuba. In July 1839 there was a slave revolt led by captives from Sierra Leone. La Amistad was transporting these people to use as slave labor in Cuba. A man by the name of Cinque creatively used a nail to unlock his chains, and then his fellow captives. They were able to take control of the ship after having to kill the captain and other crew members that wouldn’t submit to their rule. They forcibly ordered the remaining crew to sail them back to Africa. The captives were outsmarted by the captives whom had control over the schooner’s directions. The remaining Spanish crew stir the ship to the coast of Long Island. The Mende people were arrested and imprisoned in Connecticut, were they waited during the court proceedings. Now is when the controversy began. The Spanish and there government ordered the U.S to return the slaves and there schooner as property. At the time in the U.S. slave trade was illegal so the U.S. governemnt refused to send back the Africans because technically there were free and not property. The court case United States v. Amistad in 1941 gained much popularity due to the subject matter of ownership and jurisdiction.

The facts about the Amistad case is that the africans have murder charges, even though they are property. They are not from Cuba but Africa. They have been kidnapped and have came a long way from home. They are the us property and not the Spanish property. They were also consider foreigners in the U.S. and should be brought back home. The Amistad case was about the africans trying to get back home.

In 1839, on board the ship Amistad, 53 illegally kidnapped Africans refused to accept the fate of slaves. Instead they rose up, killed the captain and forced the crew to sail away. However while they believed they were back to Africa, the crew directed the ship north and the ship wound up on Long Island. The African would be slaves were put on trial for the murder of their captors aboard the ship in New Haven, Connecticut. Their case went all the way to the Supreme Court, where former president John Quincy Adams defended the Africans and secured their freedom. The case United States v. Schooner Amistad, also known simply as the Amistad Trial, had a humongous impact on the Abolitionist movement, unifying, publicizing, and legitimizing, the movement's fight against slavery.

Slavery has occurred since the early civilizations of Africa in places such as Egypt and other regions. With the forming of colonies in the New World, slaves from Africa were brought across the Atlantic and these slaves lived a different life compared to their African counterparts. Slavery in these two continents differed in how slaves were handled, who the slaves were, and how long they were to be enslaved. The slaves of Africa were people who owed debts, were prisoners of war, or committed a crime (Franklin and Higginbotham 10).

The Amistad case was a very important case in American history. The ship Amistad was a Spanish ship carrying slaves ended up on American soil. The African slaves high jacked the ship and killed the captain and demanded the crew to sail the ship back to Africa. The slaves claimed that they were freeman and not slaves. They had been kidnaped from their homeland brought abroad the ship Amistad which not a slave carrying ship and had suffered cruel and unusual punished aboard the ship. The Spanish claimed that the slaves belong to them and should be returned to them along with all of the cargo from the ship. This case involved several legal issues, the rights of the slaves, the rights of Spain and international laws , the Treaty with Spain, and last but not least the rights of human being according to the U.S. Constitution.

The beginning of slave ships started with the Portuguese making voyages to the west coast of Africa in the fifteenth century. On these voyages the

In 1839, Africans being carried from Havana, Cuba, to Puerto Principe, Cuba, revolted against their captors aboard the ship La Amistad (Spanish for 'friendship'). They were stolen from Africa, transported to the Americas, and were “passed off” as having been born in Cuba. After the revolt, the Africans demanded to be returned home, but the ship’s navigator lied to them about their course, and sailed them north along the North American coast to Long Island, New York. The schooner was subsequently taken into custody by the United States Navy. The Africans, who were deemed salvage from the vessel, were taken to Connecticut to be sold as slaves. A widely publicized court case ensued about the ship and the legal status of the

Amistad was a dramatized story that gave justification of the illegally enslaved African’s aboard the Spanish ship, “Le Amistad.” The ship was apprehended at sea by a United States Navy. Eradicators filed a Court case to free the enslaved Africans, the hearing and following appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court emphasized to society, the evils of slavery and was perceived as a key step toward turning the North against the South's "uncharacteristic society." The lawsuit elaborated a hearing the Queen of Spain, President of the United States, and a prior President. On behalf of the captives, the outcome would decide whether they would live a life of freedom or in

Elmina castle was originally built as a trading establishment by the Portuguese in 1482, however it later became a “slave castle” were hundreds of slaves would be confined until being sold and shipped to the Americas and other countries (Arcton, npr). The Elmina Castle gives a glimpse of how

Although, Amistad exemplifies the terrors of the slave trade as it make clear the troublesome nature of the slavery concern in the United States. It discloses the acceptance of slavery by most Northerners as well as the influences of the abolitionist movement. Moreover, the parting of powers in the U.S. Government, the workings of the court system, and the historical figure of John Quincy Adams are all important elements in the story on July 2, 1839, Joseph Cinqué led a slave mutiny on board the Spanish schooner Amistad some 20 miles off northern Cuba. The revolt set off a remarkable series of events and became the basis of a court case that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The civil rights issues involved in the affair made it the most famous case to appear in American courts before the landmark Dred Scott decision of 1857.

At the beginning of the movie, a slave ship, Amistad, transporting illegal slaves from Cuba is conquered by the slaves. Cinque, an illegal slave, demands that the Spanish owners take them back to Africa. At a stop to get water, the ship is found by Americans. The slaves are transported to Connecticut and thrown in jail. They are trialed for murder. Abolitionists against slavery in Connecticut